Persons having physical disabilities relating to their hand are in many instances precluded from participating in the sport of bowling. Gripping holes in a bowling ball with a thumb and two fingers is not feasible if a person lacks the gripping strength or otherwise lacks the dexterity required for bowling. Persons who lack a thumb or finger or suffer from muscular or skeletal disorders may not be able to bowl in the normal manner. Many persons who have physical disabilities would be able to participate in the sport of bowling if a more convenient method of handling the bowling ball was available.
Some devices have been developed to allow the handicapped to participate in the sport of bowling. One approach is to provide a propulsion device which rests on the floor of the bowling alley and is pointed towards the bowling pins. The approach eliminates much of the challenge of bowling and is not approved by the Professional Bowlers' Association.
Another approach is to provide a handle which is affixed to the bowling ball and retracts upon release. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,305 and 4,332,383 disclose a retractable handle provided on a bowling ball which can be gripped by a user and retracts upon release. Problems associated with this approach include interference by the handle as the ball rolls down the bowling alley. Further, the device is part of the bowling ball and cannot be adapted to other balls.
Evans U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,202 discloses a bowling ball rolling device wherein a frame having a pair of semi-circular, bent tubes is provided with a pivoted finger to hold the ball in the device until it is released by a trigger. This device requires squeezing the trigger at the moment of release and may encounter accidental release since there is no positive locking of the ball within the device. Any upward displacement of the ball within the device is only resisted by the frictional force preventing pivoting of the finger. In addition, the trigger release is not consonant with conventional bowling techniques.
Williams U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,429 discloses a bowling ball gripping device wherein a handle is provided with finger-like elements which engage holes formed in the bowling ball. Finger-hole engaging members are statically connected to the handle while a moveable thumb-hole engaging member is spring biased to a release position and is locked by thumb pressure applied to a thumb switch. This device is likewise dedicated to particular bowling finger hole patterns and spacing and is not able to be used with a wide variety of bowling balls. The release of thumb pressure is also an unusual manoeuver for bowling. Centrifugal forces and the weight of the ball must be resisted by the thumb release mechanism and could conceivable result in inadvertent release during approach.
Privitera U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,426 discloses a bowling ball propelling mechanism for handicapped persons wherein an arcuate frame having a handle is provided with a ball receiving carriage. The carriage is spring biased relative to the frame and is released by means of a trigger. The spring mounted carriage propels the ball upon release. This device provides propulsion which is difficult to control. The procedure for using the device is unusual in that a trigger must be pulled to release the ball from the mechanism.
These and other problems and disadvantages are overcome by the present invention as will be more fully described below.